By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Underprivileged women – the homeless and domestic violence victims – benefited from a giveaway of personal care products, including those for feminine hygiene, organized by women senators from around Illinois.

One senator, Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood), says women menstruate once a month, and it’s okay to discuss it.

“It’s just something that people don’t want to talk about, so there’s no awareness,” Cappel said. “But, as we bring it to light, people were joking with me, saying, hey i donated to your period thing, and i was like, hey, I don’t care, because we need to talk about this, and this is something we shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about, especially as women.”

As the legislature debated bills to require free supplies in homeless shelters and school bathrooms, some lawmakers used the phrase “period poverty.”

Cappel says there will likely be more such drives to come.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].